South Asia
1800sG.S Ghurye1900sIrawati KarveM. N. SrinivasMiddle East
1400sIbn KhaldunEurope
1700sAuguste ComteEmmanuel Joseph Sieyès1800sÉmile DurkheimHarriet MartineauKarl MarxGeorg SimmelHerbert SpencerFerdinand TönniesMax Weber1900sMichel FoucaultJürgen HabermasNorth America
1800sJane AddamsErnest BurgessW.E.B. Du ...
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BoisGeorge Herbert MeadThorstein Veblen1900sJames ColemanPatricia Hill CollinsErving GoffmanPaul LazarsfeldCharles Wright MillsRobert K. MertonTheda SkocpolDorothy E. SmithListsBibliographyTerminologyJournalsOrganizationsPeopleTimelineBy country Society portalvteInstitutions (singular: institution) are humanly devised structures of rules and norms that shape and constrain individual behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions and norms are all examples of institutions. Institutions vary in their level of formality and informality.